The Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory has arrested four suspects for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping to extort N5 million from the elderly father of two of the suspects.
CT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh said on Tuesday that the suspects, including two daughters of the victim, conspired to fake the abduction in the Jikwoyi area of Abuja to demand ransom.
According to Adeh, the arrest followed a report by one Mr Innocent at the Jikwoyi Divisional Headquarters on July 30, after his 16-year-old daughter left home on July 18 for an exam at Government Secondary School, Karu, and failed to return.
He later received a call from unknown individuals demanding ransom for her release.
“Upon receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer of Jikwoyi Division immediately launched a discreet investigation.
“Through coordinated intelligence gathering and digital tracking, the phone number used to contact the complainant was traced to a residence in Jikwoyi Phase II.
“Operatives proceeded to the location, where they found the daughter in the company of two of the suspects, all seen eating and conversing freely, indicating no signs of distress,” she said.
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Adeh said further investigations led to the arrest of the elder sister of the alleged victim and her boyfriend.
She said investigations revealed that the elder sister conspired with her boyfriend— legally married to another woman—to stage her younger sister’s kidnapping in a bid to defraud their father of N5 million.
“It was further uncovered that the staged victim was not only aware of the plan but was an active participant.
“She willingly stayed with the suspects throughout the period of her alleged abduction.
“The elder sister remained at home and feigned ignorance, watching her parents’ anguish and emotional distress as they struggled to raise money for the supposed ransom,” she said.
Adeh said the four suspects were currently in police custody and had voluntarily confessed to the crime.
She said the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
Adeh said the Commissioner of Police in charge of the FCT, Mr Ajao Adewale, had strongly condemned the act of betrayal and manipulation, particularly one perpetrated within the family.
He urged parents and guardians to pay close attention to their children’s emotional wellbeing and behavioural patterns to encourage regular and honest communication at home.
